Lost & Found
by Teefa and Co
Summary: 1st in series. The story of what happened to Eleni after the incident, and how she met Magnus major spoiliers for Chapter 5, better summary inside for that reason
1. Leena's Escape

Leena's Escape  
  
You know that Eleni was found in a ruined town by Magnus Dunbar, and raised as his daughter. You know that she is in actuality Leena, the last Biruni Mage, who was thrown back in time by Xeno in order to stop the release of Vandal Heart. But the tale doesn't stop there. Now, the whole story can be told.  
  
- - - -  
  
She didn't quite know what was going on. All she could hear was her friends - - and surrogate family - - calling out her name frantically. The creepy sorcerer named Xeno had just opened a rift in the space time continuum. Now, she felt herself being pulled inside.  
  
"Grandpa!" Leena screamed, "Help me!" But she knew that no one would come. Her grandfather was dead, along with her whole village. A tear fell down her face, the only thing that could stop those bad men was the sword Vandal Heart. And without her, the last Biruni Mage, it would stay were it was resting forever. Soon, the world went dark as the portal began to close.  
  
* * *  
  
Leena awoke in the middle of a field. It was a strange plane, surrounded by lava on four sides. She didn't know where she was, only that she was far from home.  
  
"I've got to get back. Mr. Ash and his friends need my help," she whispered.  
  
Suddenly, a group of Sparkies descended upon her. Leena knew that she had to act fast. So she brought up the barrier her grandfather had taught her. The spirits soon tired of trying to break through it, and left the little girl alone.  
  
Leena sighed. She had narrowly escaped death at the hands of those monsters. The young girl decided to find a way back. It was the only way to unseal Vandal Heart and avenge the deaths of her friends and family at the hand of the Crimson Guard.  
  
So she began to construct a magical circle like her grandfather had taught her. Then, she stood at the center and began to chant, "Oh great spirits here my plea. Open the way to my future, to the future of this world. Send me back to the real world, the world where time flows true."  
  
A portal began to open to the real world. Leena saw a town, ruined by fire and battle. Bodies were lying all over the place, and blood was on the floor.  
  
Leena's eyes opened wide. 'That's definitely it. It has to be the village. I'm going home, and I can help Ash and his friends save the world.'  
  
She headed towards the portal. Instantly, it sucked her in. Leena began to smile, she couldn't wait until she came back, and could tell Miss Eleni and Mr. Ash about her adventure.  
  
* * *  
  
Leena found herself inside a burnt out house. She decided to go outside and hope that Ash and the others would come back after leaving the temple. Then, they could go back together.  
  
Suddenly, Leena heard the sound of soldiers marching. Afraid that the horrible Crimson Guard had returned, she hid behind a ruined wall. When the young girl looked out, she saw not those Crimson Murderers, but a group of young men in silver armor.  
  
"Sir Dunbar," one man said, "I'm worried. What if some Imperial Soldiers are here, just waiting to snipe us from behind?" He was carrying a bow and had a quiver on his back.  
  
"Ferdenan, don't complain. You know that Sir Dunbar can take care of himself, and the rest of us if needed be," chided a silver haired Soldier.  
  
The man who appeared to be the leader replied, "It's ok Dolan. Let Ferdenan express his doubts. We have to be ready for the worst at all times, and he has reminded us of the worst."  
  
Leena wondered what was going on. They didn't appear to be the Crimson Guard, but it wasn't Ash and his friends either. But the one called Dolan looked just like an older man named Dolan who had been accompanying that group. Could they be father and son?  
  
Anyhow, she saw this group of interlopers as another enemy to her village. Most likely, they were searching for whatever legacies of the Biruni they could find and pilfer for themselves. Leena knew that she was the only one who could defend their secrets.  
  
She used a trick that the next door neighbor's son had taught her. It involved making her voice much bigger and scarier than it actually was, and give it an eerie tone to it. "Go back, or face a horrible death. The ghosts of those who died here have been violated by their killers, and will show no mercy to all who come here to their resting place."  
  
"Sir Dunbar!" Ferdenan exclaimed, "It's a monster of some sort. Either that or a ghost. No human being could ever have a voice that eerie."  
  
"Stay calm Ferdenan, you know that all ghosts are Airmen. You can easily shoot down any that try to attack us in one try," Dolan replied, with a quiver in his voice.  
  
Suddenly, they saw a shadow from behind the wall. Leena was using a fire to make her shadow appear much bigger than it was, and project it onto another wall. Hopefully, the soldiers would all go away once they saw her and thought she was a monster.  
  
Ferdenan yelled, "Demon, you will not kill any of us." He ran forward, and shot an arrow over the wall. Leena was not hidden in the lee of the wall, and was struck in the side.  
  
The one called Sir Dunbar ran forward. When he looked behind the wall, he saw the child lying there. He took her in his arms, and pulled the arrow out of her side.  
  
He took her back to his men. Ferdenan looked surprised. "I didn't know she was a kid. Oh, gods, what have I done? I've murdered an innocent child."  
  
"She's still breathing," Dunbar told his men, "We can get her to a healer, and she'll be just fine. You don't have to worry Ferdenan, it was an accident."  
  
"What will you do Sir Dunbar?" asked Dolan.  
  
He answered, "I'll take her back with me. She can live at my house, and I will raise her as my daughter. It's the least I can do for the poor little orphan."  
  
So Dunbar took Leena home. He turned her over to his personal Healer, Mimi, who cleaned up the wound. The child was put in a bed, where she slept through the night.  
  
- - - -  
  
This is basically me trying to explain exactly how everything came to be. They never tell you exactly how Leena escaped the other dimension, or how she lost her memory. You could say she escaped with her magic, and the stress of the portal caused her to lose her memory. But if she lost her memory in the portal, she wouldn't remember her magic. Another sorcerer could have helped her, but then he would have stayed with her when she left the portal, and Magnus wouldn't have raised her. So here's how I think she met him. And yes, that is a much younger Dolan with Magnus, they never said exactly how long he'd served under the general, so it is possible. 


	2. New Life

New Life  
  
When Leena woke up the next morning, she immediately held her head in her hands. She couldn't remember who she was, or where in the world she had come from. The room she was in was not familiar at the least.  
  
Shortly after that, Mimi entered the room. She was a young woman in her early thirties, who had brown eyes and golden blond hair. The young Healer had served under Magnus for some time now, ever since the rebellion had begun.  
  
"Oh good, you're awake little one," she said, "Now, can you tell me who you are, or at least what your name is if nothing else. I do need to know what to call you?"  
  
"I can't remember who I am. Are you my mother or something?" Leena asked.  
  
Mimi stated, "No, I'm not you're mother. I'm a Healer working for Magnus Dunbar, a hero in the Liberation Army. You may call me Mimi. Master Dunbar will be home soon, and he'll want to see you."  
  
At that moment, a small boy entered the room. He was about three years old, with brown hair and deep blue eyes. Following him was a two- year-old girl who had green eyes and orangy-brown hair. They walked over to the bed, and looked at Leena.  
  
The boy pointed to the young sorceress. "Mimi, who is this girl? Is she and orphan like Sara and me? Or is she a relative of Sir Dunbar?"  
  
"Amon!" exclaimed Mimi, "Where are your manners? It's not polite to point at people. Now you apologize to her this instant young man."  
  
"Sorry Miss," Amon replied.  
  
Mimi told Leena, "This is Amon Miguel and Sara Larna. They're war orphans who I've taken in. Children, you must be patient with her. Poor lass can't remember who she is."  
  
Sara, who was more soft-spoken, looked at Leena. "I'm sorry 'bout that. Don't worry, you'll be safe here. Mimi is really nice to us. And the man who she works for is a great guy too."  
  
"Thank you," Leena replied, "It is nice to see that someone cares about me. Although I can't remember my past, I do believe that I had people who I was really close to, probably my parents. I can vaguely remember a unit of soldiers attacking my town, and seeing bodies in the street, and blood all over the place. It wasn't a pretty site."  
  
"Must not have been. You've been through a lot since the battle. Luckily Sir Magnus found you, or you might have been killed too," Mimi informed her.  
  
Leena nodded. She was lucky indeed. Something told her that she had watched at least one close family member be brutally killed in front of her. And she also thought she could see a woman who looked much like her holding her close, saying everything would be ok. Was that woman from the deepest recesses of her mind in fact her birth mother?  
  
Mimi suddenly realized, "I've better give you a name. Otherwise, I won't know what to call you. How about I name you Eleni? It suits you just fine."  
  
That shocked Amon. "Are you still thinking about. . ."  
  
"Not now Amon," Sara whispered, "We shouldn't bother her with the story at the moment. Eleni just woke up and needs to reflect on her situation. No need to burden her as well." Then, she and her friend left the room, leaving Leena - - or should I say Eleni - - wondering what they meant.  
  
"Mimi, what did Amon mean?" she inquired.  
  
Mimi said, "You don't need to know that now. Rest a little bit more Eleni. There's no need to add another worry to your young mind." Then she too left.  
  
* * *  
  
Over the course of the week, Eleni began to grow strong again. She had several little adventures with Amon and Sara, including getting into heaps of trouble together. One night, they all broke curfew to look at the stars off the balcony. None of them knew what the names of the different constellations that they saw, but it was pretty all the same.  
  
Amon's words over her new name still ate at Eleni. Every time she asked Mimi, the Healer found some excuse to avoid the subject. It only made things even more mysterious.  
  
Sara was no different. She always thought before she talked, and was worried about offending or upsetting Eleni in some way. As if forgetting her past and being orphaned wasn't traumatic enough. The young girl was sure she could take whatever was thrown at her.  
  
Even Amon had decided to shut his mouth. He wasn't a rude or mean child, he just didn't think some times. Well, he was only three at the time, and was a long way from growing up.  
  
Finally, Eleni cornered Mimi in the kitchen one day. "Why did you give me this name? I want to know what your reasoning was. I think I do have the right to understand what was so horrible about this name that no one wants to talk about it."  
  
"Eleni was my daughter's name," Mimi replied, "She was about your age when she died, and looked much like you. That was five years ago. There was a fire in my house, and I was the only one who survived. My husband, daughter, and younger brother were all killed. A thief had gotten in, and lit a candle to find my valuables. He dropped it, and burnt the whole house down around him. I devoted my life to healing after that, if I had known how to do it, they might be alive today. I also became sympathetic towards orphans. When Sara and Amon's parents were killed fighting for the Liberation Army, I took them in. They reminded me much of the family I had lost."  
  
Eleni reached out to hug Mimi. She could feel for the woman, losing everyone she loved in the fire. Much like Eleni herself. The young girl tried to envision her mother holding her in Mimi's stead, and it comforted her a little bit more about her situation.  
  
- - - -  
  
Well, I wanted to have Amon and Sara's pasts be explained a little bit, and how they got involved with Magnus's unit explained. It was because they knew him from a long time ago. That and the fact that I wanted Eleni to have some friends, and they're all pretty close in age. Eleni is going to meet Magnus in the next chapter, he's been on a war campaign until now. 


	3. A New Father

A New Father  
  
The next day, when Eleni awoke, she saw everyone gathered in the front hall. Even Sara and Amon were there. She wondered what was going on and joined her friends. All of the people were standing there eagerly, as if someone of great importance was coming to visit them.  
  
"Hey Sara," Eleni called, "What's going on? Why is everyone waiting here like this?"  
  
"Sir Dunbar is finally coming home. Everyone was worried he had been hurt, but he'll be back for a while now. You'll like him, he's nice," she replied.  
  
Eleni let that all sink in. She'd heard everyone talk of Magnus Dunbar for some time now. They all said he was a man with a fair hand who loved justice. It was also Magnus who had taken her in, and was planning to raise her after finding her in her ruined village.  
  
The door opened and Magnus walked in. Behind him came both Dolan and Ferdenan. Everyone cheered their returning master with great enthusiasm.  
  
Eleni looked at the trio. Dolan was 26 years old with silver hair and turquoise eyes. He had a stern smile, and serious face. Ferdenan was 23 with light brown hair and green eyes. He was looking around as if his nerves had been shot. Magnus was 32, and seemed the most at ease out of the trio. He had black hair and blue eyes, and a smile that looked like he belonged up on stage winning awards.  
  
The second Magnus noticed Eleni, he walked over to her. In that second, the young girl became quite nervous. It isn't every day that you get to meet a legendary hero in person. Sara noticed this and nudged her foreword a little bit.  
  
Eleni whispered, "Thank you sir, for saving my life."  
  
Magnus bent down next to her. "Don't mention it little one. I couldn't leave someone as young as you alone in such a place to fend for yourself. I do hope you'll forgive Ferdenan for his accidentally hitting you, he gets nervous easily. Now, what's your name?"  
  
"I don't remember what my real name is," she admitted, "But Mimi has been calling me Eleni ever since the first day that I came here. You can call me that too Mr. Dunbar."  
  
"Ok, then. Eleni it is. And you don't have to be so formal with me. You're not one of my soldiers after all. I would like it if you would think of me as your father, Eleni," he said.  
  
* * *  
  
Magnus had managed to string a full month off, due to his status as a hero. Thus he had plenty of time to get to know Eleni. She was the type to easily get along with, as her amnesia gave her an innocence not usually found in anyone. It served a second purpose too, as the young girl couldn't remember the flames and the bloodshed she'd witnessed when her village had been destroyed.  
  
In this time, Eleni, Sara, and Amon had become even closer to each other. Although Eleni was a whole year older than Amon - - and had two years on Sara - - she didn't know much about anything, due to her amnesia. Thus she was often relying on the two of them to show her the things that most children her age already know. It was also a comfort, having children her own age around - -especially since they were all orphans just like Eleni.  
  
Ferdenan seemed nice, but he was as jumpy as Magnus had said, and then some. He was genuinely sorry for hurting Eleni, just as he had said. The young man had apologized for her injuries and lost memory several times a day. It had all begun to annoy Eleni.  
  
Dolan, the stern member of the group, had even become fond of the little girl. He said it was because he was the oldest of five, and he enjoyed taking care of his little sister - - she was ten years his junior, and he had babysat her when she was Eleni's age. There seemed to be a sadness about him though, and Eleni wondered what it was.  
  
Truth be told, she had this feeling that she'd met him before. He seemed so familiar, like he'd come from her village, and had been a friend of the family - - the connection wasn't strong enough to warrant him being her blood relative. Even his name sounded like she'd heard it before, although the man she pictured looked like an older version of this Dolan. It greatly baffled the young girl.  
  
Magnus told her, "You did take notice of my troops walking through your village before we found you. I'm sure you even heard our names spoken. So you're just associating Dolan with the memory of seeing him in your town at that time."  
  
Eleni shook her head. "But I don't get the same feeling like I get with you or Ferdenan. There's a deeper meaning to the name Dolan. I know I remember it on the face of an older man who also had silver hair and light eyes. Could it be a connection to my past daddy?"  
  
"Might be," Magnus replied, "I certainly don't know who you are."  
  
"Why is Dolan always so sad?" she asked.  
  
Magnus inquired, "What makes you so think he's sad?"  
  
Eleni picked up a flower, and twirled it between her thumb and forefinger. "It's so easy to read on his face. Besides, I can feel emotions of people I meet. I don't know why, it just comes naturally." Magnus had never encountered a child like Eleni. She seemed to have powers that most people couldn't ever hope to attain. And she was only four years old to boot.  
  
'I've got to find her a teacher,' he vowed, 'One who will be willing to show her how to control the latent powers that lie inside of her. I would just die if she was killed in an accident because she could not control whatever it is.'  
  
He began to think about whom he could ask. Most teachers only dealt in the art of casting magic. He needed someone who would be able to understand skills that were more than that. As Magnus's mind strolled down a long list of magical teachers he knew, he could only find one who had the abilities required to be Eleni's teacher.  
  
- - - -  
  
Well, we're going to introduce her to Huxely in the next chapter. I'll also get into some of Dolan's reasons for fighting, as a result of the two of them conversing. 


	4. Tutor

Tutor  
  
In a few days, Huxely Hobbes came down the path to the Dunbar residence. He was 50 years old, with gray hair and blue eyes. An expert in healing magic, Huxely was also one of the few people in the world who had a profound knowledge about the un-castable magic, such as psychic abilities and perception - - although he himself didn't have such skills, he'd studied them.  
  
"What a strange request, teaching a little girl about un-castable magic," he mumbled, "And it's Magnus Dunbar as well. I didn't even know he had a daughter."  
  
Magnus was overjoyed when he came to the door. He beckoned the old healer to come inside for some tea. Mimi came in, and brought the two men the tea and some cookies.  
  
"Now, let us get down to the business of the little girl," Huxely requested.  
  
Magnus replied, "We shall. But first, I would like you to meet your student. Eleni, come in here. Your teacher has arrived and would like to meet you."  
  
In came Eleni, all decked out in her best clothes. All morning she had wondered why Mimi had been worried about every hair on her head. Unlike Magnus, she hadn't known the exact day that Huxely would be coming to see her. She sat down at the table next to her father.  
  
Magnus indicated the child. "Huxely, this is my daughter, Eleni. Eleni, this is your teacher, Huxely Hobbes. He will be helping you with your powers. I'm sure you two will get along well."  
  
"Hello sir," stated Eleni, "I thank you for coming. And I greatly appreciate your help." She curtsied as Magnus had taught her to do.  
  
"So this child has some of the un-castable magics inside of her! Sir Dunbar, I did not know you even had a wife and child, let alone such a gifted one," Huxely replied.  
  
Magnus told him, "Eleni isn't my birth daughter. I took her in after finding her in a burnt out village. But I love her as if she was my own flesh, and want to protect her in any way possible. So I need her to learn these skills, before it causes some sort of grief on her young soul."  
  
Huxely eyed the girl. "I will try my best to help her. Don't worry, Miss Eleni is in good hands with me. We'll have fun together."  
  
"That's good," Magnus said, "Well, I'll leave the two of you to your lesson. Be good for your teacher Eleni." With that, he left the room.  
  
"Now then, Miss Eleni. We're going to study some of the theories behind magic, both the castable and un-castable types. Pay attention, because this is very important. If you are unable to understand what goes into a spell, it might just backfire," Huxely lectured.  
  
* * *  
  
Eleni continued to study with Huxely over the next few days. He began to teach her about the different mage classes, and the spells contained in each. She would need to know all of this before she chose the path that she wished to follow to learn spells.  
  
Not that Eleni needed any help with her choice. Ever since she learned that she had a strong magical power within her, she had wanted to be a Mage. She had begun to have a strange dream, night after night, where she was walking along a path, raising the path that lead to an old temple. But golems were also coming up out of the water. Luckily, a young woman with blond hair and an old man began to blow them away with magic. Both of them had reached the highest Mage class of Enchanter in the dream. Right after that, her dream would go into herself being thrown into a glowing fissure. The young woman Enchanter gave her a smile that said everything would be all right, and it would all turn out ok in the end for the child.  
  
She told the girl, "The path will be hard in the future for you. But just stick to it, and you'll eventually find happiness. Remember the name Magnus Dunbar, it will be important to your future. And don't forget. . ." but her voice trailed off as the fissure closed around her.  
  
That dream was one thing that Eleni kept secret from everyone, including her father. It seemed too real to be just a dream, but what else could it be. It's not like she remembered her past while she was awake, why should sleeping be any different? But one thing still bothered her. Now that she had begun to make some sense of her powers of perception, she was even surer that she had met Dolan before. But the Dolan she met had seemed older, and seemed to have less sadness riding on his heart.  
  
She approached the Soldier one-day while he was in the Library. "Dolan, why are you always so sad? I've never once seen you happy, and I'm beginning to worry about you. What happened to you in the past that makes you like this?"  
  
"My two brothers died in the war," he told her, "They fought bravely against the Ashah Dynasty, only to be killed in battle. If I had been a little stronger, maybe I could have saved them."  
  
"Don't blame yourself Dolan. There are certain things a person can't help, and death is one of them. I certainly couldn't save my family from the soldiers," Eleni confessed.  
  
Dolan replied, "I guess we're just two walking war wounded. If you ever want to talk about your sorrows, just call on me. I'm there for you, just like your father, Huxely, and Mimi."  
  
Eleni giggled. "I should be telling you that instead Dolan. Seems like you could use someone to talk to even more than me."  
  
Although she didn't admit it to Dolan, Eleni was glad she had someone to talk to about lost family. It hurt to know what Dolan had gone through, but she knew that he could find some comfort in her words. Maybe with each other's help, the child and the Soldier would make it through these tough times.  
  
- - - -  
  
Well, I guess I've set the stage for the premise of this series. This episode will be over pretty soon, but a sequel is in the works. 


	5. As Time Passes

As Time Passes  
  
A year passed since Magnus had found Eleni. The Liberation Army had managed to take the Capital, and was in the process of setting up a democratic government called the Republic of Ishtaria. But Arris the Sage, leader of the Liberation Army, had disappeared, and no one had been able to locate him. So there was a few problems with the choosing of leaders.  
  
The now five-year old Eleni was a little more adventurous than she'd been a year before this. She would go with Sara and Amon and explore some of the lesser-known places in Magnus's house, most notably the attic and basement. This often earned them scoldings from Mimi, who was often worrying about one of them getting hurt.  
  
Huxley was often concerned about his young student too. He was continuing to teach her about the theories behind magic, and she often surprised him with her intellect regarding those subjects. Eleni liked her lessons with him so much that she never skipped them in order to get into trouble.  
  
Those lessons were helping Eleni greatly. She had already gained a good grasp on the theories, and was beginning to focus on her wishes to become a Mage. With any luck, in a few more years, she would learn how to cast her first spell, the Dark Star.  
  
Sara had been watching Eleni closely over her lessons. When she saw how determined her friend was to become a Mage, it inspired her to learn magic too. But Sara wanted to become a Healer, so she could take care of their wounds, while Eleni would go foreword and annihilate the enemies with her powerful attack spells. Neither of them wanted to advance as Monks, but rather stay on the path of magic, and help the other people they would travel with on their adventures from the back lines.  
  
Amon decided to get into the action too. He would become an Archer, and then an Airman. He would go up and strike down the enemies that Eleni had hit with her spells. Then Sara could heal whatever damage he had sustained. Working together, they could go far in battle. Maybe they would be allowed to join the army together.  
  
Due to the various insurgents and thieves that set themselves up in the countryside, Magnus was often not at home. Along with Dolan and Ferdenan, he would go out for a week or two in order to hunt down such groups. As the three were great warriors, there was nothing to fear when they went out, but Eleni always brooded until they had returned to the estate.  
  
Dolan was feeling much better about failing to save his brothers. He thought about Eleni's situation, and began to thank the gods that he still could remember who he was, and that his sisters and parents were still living. When he looked at how she had bounced back from losing her entire town and her memory to boot, it made him want to be strong and be thankful for what he still had.  
  
Ferdenan was still jumpy and had a weak nerve, but he had gotten a little better about dealing with it. Eleni understood that was just the way he was, and never tried to change him in any way. Besides, she liked him just the way he was.  
  
Magnus still played the part of their fearless leader. He confided his fears in Eleni, who would pry it out of him if he ever tried to hide it from her. So whenever he came home, he would talk to his daughter and they would discuss the horrors of going out to battle and not knowing if he would come home again. She was understanding of his feelings, it made the child feel better to know that her father thought of such things. If he didn't, and believed himself invincible, his chances of surviving were greatly reduced.  
  
Eleni still had that strange dream on occasion. She wondered why the woman in her dream knew Magnus. Could it be that she was a prophetess, predicting her future happiness? Or could the whole thing be just what it appeared as, a dream.  
  
This dream was kept a secret from all of the adults, including her father. Eleni didn't want to worry them over her lost memories, as was their tendency, especially Magnus, Mimi, and Huxley. She could deal with it on her own, after all only she could understand it if it was a vision.  
  
Even her best friends Sara and Amon weren't informed of the secret. Sara was another person who would fuss over her every problem. Amon probably would try to think of a way to solve it, which would get him in some sort of trouble due to knocking something valuable over, or getting lost in the forest. Eleni didn't want her friend getting himself into a fix because of her.  
  
On this day, the one-year anniversary of Eleni becoming part of Magnus's family - - which she was using as her birthday - - she was sitting on the balcony and watching the sunset with Sara and Amon. As luck would have it, Magnus was late getting home from another patrol, and hadn't been there on this day. She remembered him complaining about the assignment from the second it had been given to him. He wanted to be there to celebrate with his daughter and the other important people in her life. "But my daughter's anniversary is coming up," he had told his superior, Hel Spites, "I need to be there for her. It's a very important day to the both of us."  
  
"Who else can I send? And why should I care about some orphaned kid you decided to take in? If you hurry up and finish the mission, maybe you'll be back in time for this little party you're having," Hel stated in response.  
  
Eleni whispered, "Why did it have to be this week? It was supposed to be a happy time." Sara looked up at the sun. "I don't understand adults. Some of them like us kids, while others could care less if we all fell into another dimension."  
  
"But doesn't Hel Spites have a kid of his own?" asked Amon, "Wouldn't he hate it if he couldn't be with his son on his birthday?"  
  
"You mean Kane? He's a brat. I've met him before, and he's constantly mean to me. Daddy never takes me along anymore in fear of what Kane will do. His father could care less if he ran ragged in the streets or not," Eleni replied.  
  
Suddenly, something dropped into Eleni's lap. It was a long box, wrapped in fancy paper, and tied with a bow. Curiously, the child ripped off the paper and the bow, and uncovered the box. Inside was a staff, just the size for a young child. When she looked behind her, she saw Magnus standing near the door and smiling.  
  
He said, "Surprise. I managed to finish my work early, and get back to spend the evening with you. I picked this up on the way back, I know you'll be able to find use for it when you learn your first spell from your lessons."  
  
Eleni ran into her father's arms and gave him a hug. So what if this wasn't her real birthday, or if it wasn't her real father. All that she was concerned with was that people cared about her, and she about them. They went inside, where Mimi was waiting with a chocolate cake.  
  
- - - -  
  
A little cuteness in the end. Well, I'd like to thank the following people for making this possible. First, to Konami for making this great game. Also to my friend Dan for telling me about the game in the first place. Nothing much else, as this wasn't one of my longer or more exciting stories. I'll have a sequel up in a month or so at the most, as I've got some other projects in mind. 


End file.
